The current method of enabling or unlocking displays, such as on smart phones or other devices, requires the touching of a button somewhere on the device to get the display to light up, then touching the device again to unlock the device, such as by swiping a slider button on that display. The current method of enabling and unlocking displays requires at least two very conscious and deliberate actions which require both of the user's hands unless the device is mounted.
Modern computing devices rely heavily on the ability of a user to enable and unlock a display, and typically modern computing devices require a user to use one or both hands to unable or unlock the display of the computing devices. Touch screens, keyboards, mice, trackpads and the like have become ubiquitous for enabling or unlocking displays or devices, but they require the use of the user's hands. Some users may lack the physical capacity to use a touch-screen or a pointing device, while other users may need to interact with a user interface at the same time as performing complex manual operations that require both hands. For example, soldiers using advanced combat equipment may have a computer display mounted to their helmets, but a soldier in combat cannot be expected to take one hand off his weapon to enable and/or unlock a computer display. In these situations, a user is not able to use his or her hands to interact with a user interface of a device.
Consequently, it would be advantageous if a method and apparatus existed which would be suitable for enabling, disabling, and/or unlocking a device or a display of a device without requiring the use of the user's hands.